Saddle for guns or cradles.



PATENTED FEB. 24, 1903;

0. BEHNKE. SADDLE FOR GUNS 0R GRADLES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 6, 1902.

Q SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R0 MODEL.

No. 721,353. PATENTED FEB. 24, 1903. 0. BEHNKE. SADDLE FOR GUNS 0R GRADLES.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 6, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fig.3. B

NITED STATES OTTO BEHNKE, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMAN Y, ASSIGNOR TO FRIED.

KRUPP, OFESSEN-ON-THE-RUHE, GERMANY.

SADDLE FOR GUNS OR CRADLES.

SPECIFICATION formingpartof Letters Patent no. 721,353, dated February 24., 1903.

Application filed October 6, 1902.

To all whom it may cortccrrt;

Be it known that I, OTTO BEHNKE,-a subject of the-Emperor of Germany, and a resident of 36 Bismarckstrasse, Essen-on-the-Ruhr,

Germany, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Saddles for Guns or Cradles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a saddle for guns or cradles with a vertical trunnion, and es'-;

I0 pecially to those saddles constructed. in the form of a fork for embracing the gun or the cradle and having'horizontal trunnions on the outer faces of theforks.

The object of the invention is to provide an arrangement which will adapt the gun orcradle to be placed into the saddle from above and to permit the fork of the saddle tobe made comparatively narrow in consequence. This object is attained according to this invention :0 by having a releasable claw on the saddle, gripping over a claw arranged on the gun-barrel or the cradle.

One embodiment of this invention is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings employed in connection with a recoil-gun of that type which hasa cradle mounted in the saddle through the medium of a vertical trunnion.

In said drawings, Figure 1 shows a side elego vation of the saddle and the parts of the cradle and gun which come under consideration in connection therewith. Fig. 2 isa plan viewof the saddle, the portion of the cradle lying above the saddle being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 shows, on an enlarged scale, the position of the releasable claw of the saddle when the cradle is being mounted in the saddle, several I parts being shown in section.- Fig. 4isasection on the line 4 of Fig. 9 on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale.

The gun-barrel Ais to be guided in awellknown manner through the medium of claws or the like upon the slide-track of the cradle B. The cradle B carries on the one hand a vertical trunnion 0 and on the other hand aclaw D, curved concentric to-the trunnion C. The vertical trunnion C on the cradle B is secured in a trunnion-bearing E on the saddle F. Beneath the seat f ot-the saddle is connected in a well-known manner the Serial No. 126,244. (No model.)

screw-spindle H of the elevating mechanism. The saddle F is constructed in the form of a fork K at the bearing-point for the trun nion O, which fork confines the cradle with play. 'On its outer faces this fork is provided with'horizontal trunnions L, which are to be mounted in a well-known manner in the gunmarriage. (Not shown in the dra ings.) The part M of the saddle lying toward the breech of the gun-barrel receives in a recess aIclaw-body N which carries the claw 'n, en-- gaging above the claw D of the cradle, and- .engages throughits flanges n beneath theflanges m of the saddle. The claw-body N is provided with a recess 0, which extends through it in a vertical direction and serires for the reception of the nut'Q of the horizontal training'mechanism. 'lhe face sof'the nut Q, which bear against the walls of the recess 0, are curved cylindrically. In engagement with the thread of this until} is an adjustingspindle R- of the horizontaltraining'mechanism, which adj listing-spindle rests in bearings r P P',ar ranged at opposite sides of the cradle'B, and extends through bores m n and m n of the saddle F and the claw-body N withplay. The adj listing-spindle R is held againstlongig tudinal movement in its bearings through the medium of ashoulder r and a nut T screwed upon the end of said spindle and carries a hand-wheel S on its free end.

The. placing of the cradle B between the forks K of the saddle is accomplished in the following manner: The cradle is so placed from above into the fork of the saddle that the vertical trunnion C enters the trunnionhearing E of the saddle and so that the portion of the cradle carrying the claw D rests upon the seat 1" of the saddle. The nut Q of the horizontal training mechanism is now inserted in the recess 0 of the claw-body N and, together with the latter, is shoved intothe portion M of the saddle a sufficient distance to cause the claw n to grip over the claw D of the cradle. Finally theadjusting-spindle R is introduced through the bearing P into the bores m and n and, then screwed into the nut Q until it extends through thebores 10.0 n and m and the bearingP. Then by screw ing on the nut T-the adjusting-spindle is secured against movement in the.direction of its axis. The hand-wheel S, and through it the spindle B, being set in rotation for the purpose of horizontal training, said spindle, 5 according to the direction of its turning, ad-

vances in the not Q toward one side or the other and swingsthe cradleB upon its vertical trunnion C, either through the medium of the shoulder 'rimpinging the bearing P or through the medium of the nut T impinging the bearing P During this swinging movement the axis of the spindle R assumes positions at different angles to the'length of the saddle. This causes the nut Q to have a slight turning motion in the recess O, which is permitted by the cylindrical form -of its limiting-faces which bear this recess. Y v

- Having thus described the invention, the following is what is claimed as new therein: 1. In a gunmount, in combination with a saddle and a gun or its cradle mountedtherein through the medium of a vertical-trunnion; a claw fixed upon the gun or its cradle, and curved concentric to said vertical trunnion, a removable claw sliding longitudinallyof the gun into and out of engagement with the fixed claw, undercut flanges .on the saddle holding the removable claw against lateral movement,.and meansfor securing the rerhovable claw in engagement with the fixed c aw. v 2. In a'gun-mount, in combination with a saddle and a gunro'nits cradle to be mounted ;5 therein a fixed claw upon one of said parts,

a removable claw carried by the other of said parts and engaging over'the fixed claw, and a horizontal training-screw securing the removable claw in engaged relation with" the o fixed claw.

3. In a gun-mount, in combination with a saddle and a-gun or its cradle mounted in said saddle through the medium of a vertical trunnion; a rfiXBd claw onone of said parts curved 5 concentric to the vertical trunnion, a removupon' the walls of able claw secured to the other of said parts,-

4. In a gun-mount, in combination with a saddle and a gun or its cradle mounted therein through the medium of a vertical trunnion; a claw fixed upon said gun or its cradle and curved concentrically with said vertical trunnion, a removable claw engaging with the sad dle through the medium of undercut flanges, and sliding 'on, said flanges .into and out of ,engagement with the fixed claw, and the horizontal training-screw working'tthrough saidremovable claw and holding it in engaged relation with the fixed claw.

.5. In a gun-mount, in combination with a saddle and a gun or its cradle mounted therein through the medium of a vertical trunnion; a fixed claw on said gun or cradle, curved concentric to the vertical trunnion, a removable claw engaging the saddle through the medium of undercut flanges, and formed with a recess, a horizontal training-nut mounted in saidrecess near the removable claw, and the horizontal training-screw mounted in fixed bearings and extending through the removable claw and working in the nut held therein, and retaining said removable claw in engaged relation with the fixed claw.

6. The combination with a'means' for se-' curing a gun or its cradle to its mount com ,prising two claws, of a horizontal trainingnut mounted within one of the claws, and a horizontal training-screw working through the claw and the nut and securing the'claw into engagement 'with the other claw.

The foregoing specification signed at Dus'-' seldorf, Germany, this 20th day ofSeptember, 1902'. v or'ro BEHN KE.

In presence of--" WILLIAM EssENwEIN, "PETER LIEBER. 

